Time passed slowly from that day on. Despite his previous hermit lifestyle, Axel warmly welcomed Roxas into his home for as long as he would stay, giving the boy a room of his own in the small but homey cabin. And Roxas, refusing to accept any more charity, even from a friend, only agreed on the condition that he work for his keep. So the system was set, and the boy became in charge of most of the cooking and cleaning, as well as a few various little chores that he chose to do for himself. He worked around the house when Axel left for the mines, and in the evenings when he returned, the two would sit and talk by the fire or take a leisurely walk through the woods. More and more of their time was spent together, and a month had barely gone by before they became about as close as brothers.

But while things were bright and cheery in the border forest, the same could not be said for the rest of the kingdom. Firmly set upon the throne, Vexen became all the more arrogant and cruel, flaunting his strength over the helpless villages and anyone who dared to stand in his way. Many men were imprisoned in the dungeons or sent to the border mines for petty debts and squabbles, and their wives and children were left to struggle without much help from the governing soldiers. The royal treasury was full to overflowing, and the sorcerer's magical stocks were piling higher everyday...

A few vague attempts were made to try and end the lord's life, but a lifetime of conniving and magical practice had made him paranoid as it was, and if his guards and the few poor excuses for court magicians could not detect a poison or a spell of some kind, he most certainly could. To him, these were pathetic attempts, full of ferocity and anger but lacking in real power and practice. His ascent to the throne faced little to no outright opposition, and the underlying, "subtler" attempts were easily swept aside as well.

But Vexen's transition faced one rather aggravating setback. His captain, Zack, often argued with him, and threatened that most of his men would follow, which would leave Vexen lacking the sufficient force he needed to keep everyone in line. Through several grueling, heated arguments, the old man reluctantly agreed to a few conditions. That Zack and his men would only be ordered for the good of the people, and that those soldiers would received compensation for their now extended terms of service. Vexen allowed these grudgingly, though he did draft a few extra soldiers more loyal to his cause.

One of these men was before him now, reading off a list of things shipped from the northern region that morning. He was a tall, stalwart fellow, with short, curly hair and a thick, hard jaw. His expression was relatively blank, as usual, and he said no more than needed to be said on the matter.

"...And the village of Wutanfall has yet to contribute. There have been some rumors of a rebel group massing there recently, but my regiment has found no substantial foundation for this information."

"I see," drawled the old blond, leaning back lazily on his throne. Any onlooker would say that Vexen couldn't have looked more bored by this if he tried, but in truth, that was far from the case.

"Well, true or false, you must be prepared for that possibility. We cannot tolerate disloyalty to the crown, especially at this most critical time." Wutanfall was too close to the castle, and if the rumor was true, and he didn't act quickly enough to crush the rebellion, Vexen's much-needed arms and resources would have to be sacrificed to quell the fighting. That would put him terribly behind schedule...

The burly man nodded. "I will have Saix posted there shortly. If the worst occurs, I believe he is more than capable of handling the situation."

"See that you do. But do not send all of my best men out with him; only enough to deter the people."

"Yes, sir."

After a brief exchange between the two of them, Vexen turned to the servants in the room and commanded them to leave him in peace. The maids scurried from his chambers, and the tall soldier, Lexaeus, left to discuss a changing of the guard with Zack. The old man was quite alone now, and he sat still for several long minutes, almost as a statue...

Then Vexen began drumming his fingers nervously along the armrest of the throne, staring at the wall as he pondered. Besides the news that Lexaeus had brought him, there was another issue weighing on his mind; one far smaller, to be sure, but if proved right, it would be a far more pressing concern to him than anything else.

He snapped his fingers harshly, and soon, a strange silver creature slinked its way into the room. It slid under the door, as flat as could be, then popped up again once inside, sauntering over to the throne slowly. It was grey, and shaped like a man when it moved three-dimensionally. And yet, there was something very inhuman about it, as it moved as though it were billowing in the wind, and smiled awkwardly through a mesh of metal and cloth exterior.

The old blond inclined his head lazily towards it, though he barely acknowledged it with his gaze.

"What have you to report?"

The smiled crept further upward, and the zipper that served as its mouth zipped away.

The servants whisper, my liege. They saw that the Strife Prince lives still...

Vexen froze for a moment, silent and unreadable as he processed this news. His haggard face then slowly contorted with fury; deep, burning rage and hatred, as his fist slammed hard onto the carved armrest.

"It cannot be!" he shouted angrily. For once, the lord did not attempt to hide his fear and anger. Any servant who might be eavesdropping outside would have heard his cry and come knocking at once, but of course they could never hear the whisper of his nobody...

"Who spreads these rumors? Name him!" he demanded. If Demyx had lied to him...

The flower girl and the kitchen boy. The pale creature replied. They speak in soft whispers, yet these breaths have reached the ears of the captain...

Once more, his fist slammed down. "Damn!" The situation was deteriorating quickly, much quicker than he could ever have feared. He had been so cautious, so sure that his plan would proceed without fail, and yet now there was hope again. Hope that the boy was alive, and it disturbed Vexen to think that it might prove to be true yet...

There was also the matter of the foolish young captain of his. Zack was much smarter than Vexen had ever liked to give him credit for, and there was no telling what the man would do with this, whether it was really a rumor or not.

Vexen turned back to the nobody, sneering softly. "You have fulfilled your purpose. Now begone, wraith!"

The creature nodded and zipped its metal mouth again, before billowing away and out of sight again. The room was quiet but for Vexen's hissing and cursing, and the man quickly rose to his feet, making his way out the door and down the hall, past the bewildered servants.

It cannot be true! His mind was filled with jumbling, troubled thoughts. This was something he had only privately feared, and now it seemed to be becoming reality.

He was sure Zack would not act rashly on so little information. The nobody had said that the servant children rumored that the boy was alive, but it was fair to guess that they didn't know anything more than that. Demyx was the only one who knew the truth, but Vexen swore to have him dealt with later. This now posed the bigger problem; that perhaps the prince was still a thorn in his side, waiting to twist and fataly cut down his plans before their prime.

Vexen passed the dungeon on his way down to the lab; a small, dank room below in the catacombs that Cloud had "given" him for his services. He sneered angrily at the howls and taunts of the prisoners; in no mood to stop and antagonize them today. No, right now he needed to be absolutely sure...

He pushed open the heavy wooden door and was greeted by faint torchlight; a room of stone with books, ingredients, and many shadows. His work table was covered in paper, messy but not disturbed from when he last left it. The large black cauldron beside it was full of water, cold now due to the fire having burned itself out long ago. Vexen rummaged through his supplies for a moment and drew out a purple potion and a bottle filled with little golden hairs. He would need them for the spell to work; in order to seek and act, the spell needed a physical link to the target, of which blood was the strongest.

"Now," he said simply, using a small fire spell to light the cauldron once more. He then proceeded the pour the purple potion in , sprinkling in a single strand of baby blond hair as it bubbled and fizzed.

A think fog began to spill out of the cauldron, obscuring the water's surface for a moment as it drifted out through the cracks in the room. And as the picture forming began to clear, Vexen's cold eyes shot wide with fear and cold, relentless fury.

"No..."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Axel stood at the counter in the kitchen, slicing away at the fresh vegetables he had found for their supper. The sun was sinking lower in the sky, and the land outside the window was bathed in a soft, glowing, warm red light. As his emerald eyes drifted up and away from his work, the redhead looked out and smiled as his gaze came upon baby blond curls, tinged orange and pink by the glorious lighting.

Roxas stood several feet from the cabin, dressed only in cheap leather boots and loose-fitting breeches. He was chopping wood with a relatively light axe from the tool closet, and by the looks of things, he didn't have much firewood left to cut. As he cleaved a particularly large dead tree stump in two, he sighed and stretched widely, exposing broad, nicely-toned shoulders and back as he did so. There was a fine sheen of sweat on his face, neck, and chest, and the effect made his skin almost seem to glisten, similar to the glow of leaves and flowers sparkling with dew in the morning light. But the little blond was oblivious to all but his work, uncaring that his simple act of working was becoming more and more distracting to his red-headed friend.

It was a strange thing to admit to himself, but Axel couldn't deny that he was beginning to fall for Roxas. It was going slowly, and had been unintentional at first; but the older boy was charmed by Roxas's quiet, thoughtful nature. How he had refused to stay unless he could earn his keep, and how he always did more than expected of someone his age and stature; someone born and bred to command others, and yet surprisingly humble. How he worried so much for the sake of his friends and his people, and how he smiled so brightly and laughed was he was truly happy. It was never forced, and rarely awkward; a real laugh, and a very gentle, sweet sound to Axel's ears, having lived alone for so long...

In the time they had spent together, Roxas had proven to be just as funny as he was kind, and he refused to just sit back and take an insult without a fight. What he lacked in physical prowess and strength, he made up in stubbornness, and the boy could argue endlessly, even if his argument was rebuked. At times, it drove Axel crazy. At other times, it made him laugh. These were simple times for the two of them, and yet they were pleasant in their simplicity; almost enough to distract away from the inevitable...

But ultimately not enough, it seemed. The redhead sighed loudly, watching the young blond as he tossed the new logs into the pile of firewood. As sad as it was to think about, he knew there would come a time for Roxas to leave. He was the prince, after all, and even if the boy wanted to, he couldn't stay there forever. The last time Axel had bartered with one of the traveling merchants passing through, he had heard that even harder times had fallen on the kingdom since Roxas had "died." The situation was miserable for many people, and even though he never shared this news with the blond, Axel could see that Roxas suspected it anyways. And he blamed himself for running away; thinking himself too weak and helpless himself to protect them. There were times when Roxas would lock himself away in his room, sitting silently and somberly as longing blue eyes gazed out the window. So obviously deriding himself for his weakness...

It hurt Axel's heart, to see him looking this way...

"Ow!"

The redhead's attention quickly went back to his work, and he examined his now bloody finger with a wince. "Damn it!" Roxas was decidedly better in the kitchen than he was, which seemed weird since he had been making his own meals successfully for the last five or six years. Maybe it was because he was easily distracted...and a bit of a klutz...

He set the knife aside and just watched for a moment, as the blood began to pool around the wound and drip down. But he didn't notice the shadow moving across the floor until it was right beside him, and a familiar hand took his own firmly.

"Axel! Did you cut yourself again?" The voice was slightly amused, with a soft touch of worry underlying. Axel looked over to see that Roxas had come in from the yard, still in all his shirtless glory, and proceeded to lightly smack him on the side of the head.

"Hey!" he retorted, sounding unintentionally like a sulking child. "It's not like I can help it! These things are just trying to kill me!"

Roxas snorted, shaking his head. "You need to be more careful. Cut away from yourself in the future, okay?"

And then he did something unexpected. The boy lifted the redhead's finger to his mouth and began sucking lightly on the wound, cleaning off the blood. Axel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he flinched noticeably when he felt the blond's tongue teasing lightly at the skin, stinging only faintly. It was warm and wet and unintentional erotic; at least, Axel really hoped it was unintentional. As much as he cared for Roxas, he only saw eventual heartbreak if the both of them fell in love now. There wasn't much time left, after all...

He felt a jolt go down his spine, and his cheeks tinted slightly at the situation. He did not let the brief, uncomfortable silence last long.

"Uhh, Rox?" The boy hummed in response, raising those brilliant blue eyes to meet his gaze. Big mistake...

There didn't seem to be any flirtatious intent in them, just a soft curiosity and honesty that made Axel melt a little on the inside. Was it even possible for a teenager to look so young and innocent?

"You don't have to do that." Axel said firmly, pulling his finger away quickly. He didn't miss the look of disappointment and slight hurt when the blond looked up at him, confused.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, making Axel wince again. He clearly hadn't thought about the intimacy of the gesture, and Axel sighed heavily, calming the heat in his cheeks. Far be it from him to explain love and lust to a sheltered prince.

"Well, no...but-"

But surprisingly, the blond was quick to interrupt, a look of slight knowing in his clear blue eyes.

"Then...can I at least try this?"

Before Axel could say anything else, Roxas took his hand again and held it in his own, whispering a soft but powerful cure spell. Within seconds, there was a little green light surrounding his cut, as it began to mend the skin on its own. Surprised, Axel looked back to his friend.

"I thought you said you didn't know magic?"

Roxas shook his head lightly, still focused on his task. "My father taught me one healing spell, in case I was ever in trouble. It's very helpful, although it does tend to..." he trailed off softly as the green light vanished, and not a full second later, the boy found himself slumping against Axel's side.

"Roxas?" The redhead steadied him gently, holding both his shoulders and pulling him close. He watched with a light look of worry as the young blond rested his head on his shoulder and sighed. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"Drain you a little..." he breathed softly, taking the opportunity to wind his arms around Axel's waist loosely. He chuckled weakly.

"Yeah, I'm fine...I'm just really bad with magic. The spell has a tendency to sap my strength a little bit...It's no big deal, and I don't use it that often, so..."

Axel sighed and shook his head, relieved despite his now disapproving frown. He didn't really feel like arguing at the moment, and instead bent down and hooked his arm beneath Roxas's knees, lifting him with ease. The blond looked up at him, confused and a little flustered as he clutched Axel's shirt for balance, and the redhead carried him slowly back to his own room.

"You don't need to do this, Axel. I'm fine; just a little dizzy, that's all..."

"Damn it, Roxas," was all his friend muttered, pushing the door open with his hip and laying the blond on the blue, full-sized bed. His room was facing away from the sun, and as such, the two of them could see the dark beginning to spread over the sky just outside the window. The room was full of little shadows and fading orange light.

Sitting on his bed, Roxas looked like he could barely keep his eyes open; the sleepy blue orbs narrowed into a weak glare as Axel sat down beside him. He forced some forcefulness into his voice.

"Really, I'm fine-"

"No, you're not." Axel said firmly, with a hint of frustration growing in his voice. "Please don't do something like this again...or at least, not over something as tiny as a cut finger. Think before you act, alright?"

Roxas's glare fixed itself to the side of the room in a firm pout, and he did nothing to affirm that promise. The redhead felt a growing urge to throttle him for his stubbornness, but he simply crossed his arms and frowned seriously. He was in the right here, and as cute or annoying as the younger boy's pout could be, he refused to let himself show the effects of it. The stubborn prince could use the exposure to rejection; everyone had to face it at some point or another...

"I was just trying to help..." Roxas growled quietly, almost to himself really. But Axel heard it, and pointed purposefully at him, tapping the younger boy lightly on the nose.

"Yeah, but now you've exhausted yourself, and that's not going to be much help to me when cooking dinner, is it?"

The blond looked down again, at a loss for what to say there. He glared at his lap intently, even as his eyes began drooping and his energy waned slowly. Soon he was leaning back into his pillow, as Axel continued to wag his finger in in the boy's face, nagging.

"Just think about it next time, kid. I don't mind doing everything myself for tonight, but don't think you can just weasel your way out of working again, you hear?"

"But I didn't mean to!" Roxas snapped back, irritated by Axel's growing smirk. His remark was cut off by a soft little yawn, to which Axel raised and eyebrow and smirked wider.

"Stop laughing! Just give me five minutes..." Roxas trailed off, suddenly focused on how soft and cool his pillow was. It was really comfortable all of the sudden. And the dark spots gathering in the corners of his eyes were helping much either. He yawned again. "I'll be fine...I'll be up again in five..."

And then he was out, faster than a candle in the cold winter wind. The room was dark and silent now, all except for the boy's soft snoring, and Axel sighed heavily as he reached out his hand and traced it lightly over Roxas's left cheek. His skin was less pale now because he spent more time outside, but it was just as soft and warm as it had always been, smooth against the flat of his hand. Despite himself, Axel couldn't help but smile, especially when the boy began to nuzzle his hand slightly, leaning into the touch and smiling contently. It seemed that Roxas always slept better when there was someone warm beside him...

"You're an idiot. You do know that, right?" the redhead said quietly, just letting his hand rest on the boy's head for a moment.

Or maybe I'm the idiot. One hopeless idiot falling for another...

For some reason, that made him smile. It wasn't his usual bright, cocky grin, but carried more of a somber regret, complimented by a brief flash of bitterness in his eyes. Fate was not always a kind mistress, but he had never dreamed she would have the gaul to attract him to the kingdom's young prince. He had been a good boy; done his chores and lived quietly in the forest, not hurting or bothering anyone. Shouldn't that have earned him some points against something like this happening?

Really, why did it have to be Roxas?

He thought for a moment. Would things have been different for them if Roxas had been a peasant boy like himself? If he had lived in Axel's village all those years ago? Or would the redhead still have left everything, his friends, his life, and followed his mother into that unknown future?

He highly doubted it would have made a difference then. He was a strong believer in fate and consequences, and in another time and place, he could have been no more drawn to Roxas than he was to any other boy out there. They could have just as easily been nobodies; not even friends, but complete strangers, feeling nothing for one another at all. But ultimately it did no good to sit around and wonder; not when life moved on at the same pace as always, whether you were willingly along for the ride or not...

Realizing that dinner would be growing cold on its own, the redhead pulled his hand back, a touch reluctantly, and cast one last, somewhat longing look at the boy on the bed. Shifting Roxas a little, he pulled the covers out from under him and back up again, tucking him in with care. He could afford to let the blond sleep an hour or two, and he could certainly keep himself from getting any more cuts from now on, he thought with a chuckle.

Then, just before he turned to go, Axel knelt over the bed and placed a soft, tender kiss to the blond's temple. It was a very light touch, and he pulled away quicker than he had leaned in, but it was no less adoring than if he had lingered in it.

"I'll be back in an hour or so. Sleep well until then, you idiot."

And then the door was closed, shutting out all light from the hall and leaving the room to bask in the growing darkness.